India moots new legal framework to promote ICT

TUNIS: India called for a new legal and regulatory framework globally to promote Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) for the New Information Society.

Addressing the World Summit on Information Society here, Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Technology said, "Challenges before us is to design an improved organization structure where the legal and regulatory framework to promote ICTs is in place. We must create capacity to manage the business process changes that ICTs will bring in its wake".

To remove disparities amongst the nations, the minister underlined the need for an institutional mechanism to help local development and manufacturing of ICT applications and technologies.

With a view to put 'citizen first', he suggested for citizen engagement and community participation, especially for societal IT applications for education and health improvement.

Maran proposed to the member countries to create an Information Society where financial flows are adequate and predictable so that strategic planning is possible; regional cooperation is fostered in the form of regional Internet backbones and exchanges, which will reduce international interconnectivity rates.

In such a society, Maran hoped the Internet governance to be multilateral, transparent and democratic and to give boost to the local language content, empower communities through multilingualisation and localisation of content and application access.

The minister called for complete change in focus of the Summit by solving the problems of the poor rather than those of the rich.

"Unfortunately, too many of the best minds of the world are busy solving problems of the rich, rather than those of the poor," Maran said.

He further said that the technology scenario is so dynamic and complex that the entire world has abundancies and scarcities confronting simultaneously. The WSIS has to address the main challenge of digital divide, he urged.

Highlighting the importance of education and skills in the knowledge society, he said well educated and skilled people are essential for creating, sharing, disseminating and using knowledge effective. Listing out the unique features of the Internet and its strength, Maran called for adherence to the standards that promote interoperability.

Maran also called for the establishment of a multi-stake holder mechanism or a Forum for continuously addressing the issues arising out of ICT revolution sweeping globally. He said if a summit ends today, action begins tomorrow. He assured India's full support in such an endeavour.